hold it together
by ohlookrandom
Summary: Cho saw everything, but it hurt him as much as his friend that he could stand by and do nothing. Set after 3x21, "Like A Redheaded Stepchild".


SUMMER VACATION! Oh yes. Those two words never sounded so good coming out of my mouth. Or I guess, out of my fingers in this case since I'm not really talking. Or maybe I am. I don't know. It's summer. I refuse to think.

Unfortunately, that meant that my muse decided to take the summer off. So while I hunt her down... enjoy this fic from The Mentalist! I adore that show. SPOILER AUTHOR'S NOTE AT THE END OF THIS STORY. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except this glass of soda.

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><p>Rigsby often got the worst of the job, Cho reflected as he sat at the coffee table in the office. His fingers wrapped around his mug of coffee, he idly watched as people streamed by in the early morning, some bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, some lagging behind like zombies waking from their eternal slumber. Nobody questioned the silent man in the corner; they had long since learned that to question him meant a blank stare and a flat, expressionless tone in response.<p>

It was funny how that shut down a conversation fairly quickly.

So Cho sat there on a typical Friday morning, watching as the usual crowd filled the office with chatter. Watson, limping out of his office- no doubt he'd gone and twisted his ankle again doing something stupid. Greenville and Harrison, over by the water cooler, discussing the current case file they were working on. And- ah, there was Rigsby, walking in.

Cho would never admit it- at least not freely- but he held Rigsby in unusually high regard. He wasn't sure that he would ever be able to come back to work and face his ex-girlfriend- who by the way was _marrying someone else_- and still put up a good front about it. Then again, Cho corrected himself, he would never be that _stupid _to involve himself romantically with a fellow coworker.

So yes, Rigsby got the worst of the job. Who did the bad guys attack first? If Jane didn't do something moronic to put himself in harm's way, then they went for the biggest man on the team- the most threatening- Rigsby. It was part of the reason why Cho and Rigsby made such a good team. Rigsby provided the brawn, Cho provided the surprise attack, and together both of them took down the perpetrators. It was just the way it worked.

All that changed when Grace Van Pelt entered the picture. Suddenly, Rigsby was occupied. Suddenly, Cho found himself dealing with a stuttering, enchanted young man who kept adjusting his ties and checking his reflection in every available surface. And really, Cho couldn't blame him. Van Pelt was sort of attractive. Rigsby had always been partial to redheads, anyway. And although both Van Pelt and Rigsby vehemently denied that they were in a relationship, Cho had always known. He had picked up some observational skills from Jane, after all, and really, it was _obvious_. The whole building, even the detectives who couldn't tell a sprinkle from a stone, saw it. Rigsby and Van Pelt were just bad liars, that was all.

Just like Jane, Cho saw the breakup coming even before Rigsby or Van Pelt did. He hated that he had to stand idly by and watch the relationship go down in flames, but he knew his partner well enough to understand that Rigsby would appreciate no comment or advice regarding that rocky period. So he stood. And watched. And waited for Rigsby to get over himself and get back to normal. Which was taking an awfully long time, he added privately to himself. He knew that Rigsby had never stopped loving Van Pelt, but for crying out loud, she was _engaged _to another man.

_Definitely _the worst part of Rigsby's job. Cho remembered the awkward team meetings, when Rigsby wouldn't look at Van Pelt and Van Pelt wouldn't look at Rigsby; then there was Jane, who was watching the entire scene with an amused look on his face, and then there was Lisbon, who would attempt to get everything back on track before Jane inevitably derailed it with some off-handed comment. Which he would do. Always.

Cho liked to think that apart from Jane, he was the only one who saw and heard everything. So he saw the tiny glances Rigsby threw Van Pelt's way. He saw the way Van Pelt's fingers lingered a little too long on the cup of coffee Rigsby brought her, out of common courtesy. He saw the way Rigsby leaned in when he was talking to Van Pelt. He saw the way she fiddled with her ring, as though she wanted to take it off. And finally, Cho had had enough. "Tell her," he'd said out of the blue when he and Rigsby were sitting in the car on a stakeout.

His partner threw him a startled look. "Tell who what?"

"Either you're stupid, or you're a moron. Tell Van Pelt you love her."

"She's _engaged_."

"If you don't do it, Jane will for you."

Rigsby had fallen silent at that ultimatum.

That had been yesterday, and Cho fingered his coffee cup as Rigsby rounded the corner and headed towards the police kitchen. His face set as usual, he took a long pull of his black coffee and greeted Rigsby with a silent nod.

Rigsby rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a carton of yogurt and then dropping into a chair next to Cho. "Morning," he said grimly, and Cho noted that his eyes were swollen and red and there was a nice purple bruise forming on his cheek. "Any new cases?"

_That _wasn't a good sign. Whenever Rigsby wanted new cases it meant that he wanted to get his mind off something. "Lisbon hasn't said anything yet." Cho changed the subject. "Your cheek's bruised."

"Let's not talk about it."

"Okay." Cho's tone was flat as usual. He never pushed for more information, unless it was s suspect. Other than that, he let silences hang, because he figured that people would begin to talk to fill the quiet void.

So the two partners sat in silence, each sipping their respective drinks.

"I told her." Rigsby was the first one to break the silence- he would be, Cho figured, since Rigsby hated silences.

"Good for you."

"I said I wouldn't be going to her wedding."

"So you're going to leave me alone with a bunch of people I don't know."

"You'll know Lisbon and Jane."

"Jane will be too busy annoying Lisbon."

Rigsby sighed loudly. "_That's _what you're worried about right now? Being around people you don't know?"

"That's essentially what's going to happen." Cho took another sip of his coffee. "All you told me was that you're not going to her wedding."

"I told her I loved her," Rigsby clarified. "Still," he added as an afterthought.

Cho didn't even raise an eyebrow; he just sat there and waited.

"I didn't wait for her to say anything. I said what I needed to, then left." Rigsby buried his head in his arms. "God, that was stupid," his muffled voice muttered.

A few seconds passed, then Cho reached out and patted Rigsby's shoulder, an awkward, two-beat tap that lasted no more than a second. It wasn't much, but it was what he could do. "You won't die alone," he offered awkwardly.

Rigsby lifted his head off his arms and glared at Cho, who merely looked back at him with the same deadpan expression.

High heels came clacking around the corner, and Van Pelt entered the kitchen. "Morning," she greeted, carefully avoiding Rigsby's eyes. "Is there any coffee in that jar over there?"

"Knock yourself out, there's plenty." Cho saw everything. So he saw the way Rigsby stared at his hands till Van Pelt was safely past him; he saw the way Van Pelt tiptoed around her former lover. He saw the way she lingered at the coffee pot rather than come over and engage in the usual banter with them; he saw the way Rigsby made an excuse to talk to Lisbon when their boss came into the office, tailed by Jane, who appeared to be trying to sell something to her. And lastly, Cho saw the twisted emotions in Rigsby's face when he turned away from Van Pelt- angersadnesshumiliation_regret_?- and he respected Rigsby all the more for it.

Yeah, Rigsby definitely had the worst of the job.

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><p>Attn Readers: If you don't want the spoilers for the season finale of Mentalist, read no further.<p>

Are you still reading? Cause you should stop now if you want your minds to be corrupt-free. If that's a word.

CAN ANYONE BELIEVE THAT VAN PELT'S FIANCEE WAS THE MOLE? Actually, I could. I _wanted_ him to be the mole. Mostly because I didn't trust him. Nobody is that perfect.. _nobody_. And he was getting in the way of the Grace/Rigsby dynamic.

But still. When he was revealed as the mole, Van Pelt's face about just broke my heart. :(

Looking forward to the next episode of the Mentalist- and in the meantime, I'm also looking forward to reviews :) Thank you for reading!


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